Islam Makhachev vs. Charles Oliveira 2? Dana White wants to see it.
Oliveira ran through Beneil Daruish in the co-main event of UFC 289 last night (Sat., Jun 10, 2023), finishing the No. 4 Lightweight in the first round via TKO from inside Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (watch highlights). The TKO of Dariush was Oliveira’s 20th finish in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a remarkable stat that he sits on top of.
The win at UFC 289 puts Oliveira in an interesting position because he just beat the guy that was guaranteed a Lightweight title shot if he were to win, but he also just lost to the current champion eight months ago at UFC 280 (watch highlights).
The UFC President didn’t guarantee a rematch against Makhachev for Oliveira, but he said it makes sense.
“He looked like a world-beater tonight, and I’m excited for him and Islam to fight again,” White told reporters during the UFC 289 press conference. “It’s the thing that makes sense. I’ll tell you on Tuesday. But yeah, I mean, let’s not play games; that fight makes sense. That’s the fight that should happen. And I’m excited to see it again.”
Dana White says he’s “excited” for Charles Oliveira to rematch Islam Makhachev #UFC289
“Let’s not play games, that fight makes sense, that’s the fight that should happen, and I’m excited to see it again.” pic.twitter.com/7sxTBAPjIn
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) June 11, 2023
Another fight that looms over “Do Bronx” and the Lightweight title picture is the upcoming BMF title fight between the No. 2 and No. 3 ranked fighters Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje at UFC 291. The winner of that fight would be a fresh matchup for Makhachev.
White was asked about Makhachev wanting to fight a fresh opponent.
“There’s a lot of things that go into consideration for the next [title] fight,” White said. “I mean, I’m sitting here talking to you about him right now, and I don’t even know what’s wrong with him. He’s in medicals. I don’t know where he’s at and what he’s got planned over the summer. The list goes on and on of things that factor into how fights are made. But I’m just telling you right here right now [Makhachev vs. Oliveira] is a fight I’d like to see again.”
Makhachev isn’t fighting until the promotion returns to Abu Dhabi in October, so there is still time to decide who gets next.
For complete UFC 289 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.